The 60's

Watch The 60's

  • 2009
  • 1 Season

The 60's is a documentary series produced by A&E that explores one of the most revolutionary decades in American history. Consisting of ten episodes, each episode is an hour-long and delves into the major political, social, and cultural events that took place throughout the 60s.

The series takes a look at the transformational changes that happened during the 1960s, ranging from the Civil Rights Movement, anti-war demonstrations, the rise of feminism, counter-culture, rock and roll, and the space race.

The first episode of the series sets the tone by providing a brief overview of the decade, highlighting the major events and social movements that are explored in the rest of the series. From there, each episode focuses on a particular event or theme, providing an in-depth analysis of the critical issues that defined the decade.

The second episode focuses on the Civil Rights Movement, including the landmark 1964 Civil Rights Act and the 1965 Voting Rights Act, both of which aimed to eradicate discrimination and segregation. The episode sheds light on significant figures such as Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, and Stokely Carmichael, exploring their contributions to the movement and the challenges they faced.

The third episode highlights the anti-war movement, which escalated in the 1960s as the Vietnam War continued to drag on. From college protests to draft resistance and the emergence of Jane Fonda as a vocal anti-war activist, this episode provides a showcase of the significant events and individuals that shaped the anti-war movement.

The fourth episode delves into the rise of feminism and the women's liberation movement, which was instrumental in challenging gender-based discrimination across the country. From the publication of Betty Friedan's groundbreaking book, The Feminine Mystique, to the iconic bra-burning protest at the 1968 Miss America Pageant, the episode explores the events and leaders that have changed the course of women's history forever.

The fifth episode examines the counterculture movement, which saw the emergence of a new wave of young Americans who rejected mainstream culture. The episode features the music of Jimi Hendrix, the Beatles, and Bob Dylan, showcasing how their work represented the political, social, and cultural struggles of the era.

The sixth episode focuses on the hippie movement, which became synonymous with the counterculture movement. From the Woodstock music festival to the emergence of the Haight-Ashbury neighborhood in San Francisco, this episode covers the lifestyle, music, and fashion that defined the hippie culture in the 1960s.

The seventh episode delves into the impact of drug culture on the 1960s, exploring the rise of LSD, marijuana, and other hallucinogens. The episode examines how drug culture impacted music, politics, and society as a whole, while also showcasing the negative consequences of addiction and abuse.

The eighth episode focuses on the space race between the United States and the Soviet Union. From the launch of Sputnik I to the famed Apollo 11 mission that put man on the moon, the episode provides an in-depth analysis of the scientific and political implications of the space race.

The ninth episode takes a look at the infamous Charles Manson murder case and explores the ways in which it represented the dark underbelly of the 1960s. The episode delves into the era's violence and fear, questioning whether Manson and his followers were the product of a failed counterculture or an aberration in an otherwise optimistic era.

Finally, the tenth episode concludes the series by examining the legacy of the 1960s and its impact on future generations. From the music and art to political and social movements, this episode analyzes how the events of the 1960s continue to shape our culture and society today.

Overall, The 60's is an engaging documentary series that provides an insightful look into one of the most transformative periods in American history. Through its exploration of various themes and events, the series offers an informative and thought-provoking commentary on the 1960s and its impact on contemporary society.

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Seasons
1968 With Tom Brokaw
15. 1968 With Tom Brokaw
 
In 1968,Tom Brokaw will draw upon his personal experiences as a journalist whose own life is inextricably bound to the 60's. He'll travel to iconic destinations (the scenes of defining moments or events) not simply to retell history, but to engage in what he calls, "virtual reunions" - pairing together unlikely and provocative voices from both the past and present: A one-time student anti-war leader from the 60's might hash out Iraq with a present day student about to join the military...or the publisher of the first "Whole Earth Catalog" (a 'how-to' for the "future of humankind" published in '68) sits down with Tom and Stephen Jobs - who recently called the catalog the spiritual forerunner of the internet.
Martin Luther King, Jr: The Man and the Dream
14. Martin Luther King, Jr: The Man and the Dream
 
In October 1963, after rejecting his agents' advice that Martin Luther King has no links with Communists, FBI boss J. Edgar Hoover embarked on a massive surveillance operation against the black civil rights leader by the use of phone taps and hidden microphones. By the end of the year, the surveillance had yielded nothing to brand King a Communist, but a good deal to raise questions about his public morality. King's sexual indiscretions were well known among his colleagues, his contemporaries and his family. In this program his allies give their accounts of King's secret sexual life, and their reasons for turning a blind eye; while former FBI agents explain how Hoover went about trying to use this information as a means of neutralizing King's power. King's sexual relations with women were a source of guilt-ridden depression, yet he conducted serious affairs with mistresses throughout his marriage. His long nights of doubt, his gradual overcoming of uncertainty, and his eventual acceptance of martyrdom act as a dramatic counterpoint to Hoover's attempted character assassination.
Che Guevara
13. Che Guevara
 
Looks at the controversial life of the Argentinean revolutionary, who was a medical doctor, an aide to Fidel Castro in the Cuban Revolution, and active in leftist guerrilla movements in the Congo and Latin America. In 1967, while leading a guerrilla action in Bolivia, he was captured and executed.
Crossing the Bridge
12. Crossing the Bridge
 
Selma Alabama, March 7th 1965. A line of civil rights protestors crossed the Edmund Pettis Bridge on a march to the Alabama State Capitol in Montgomery. Blocking their path were Alabama State Troopers. The unprovoked brutality that followed, shocked a nation, moved a president and is the focus of "Crossing the Bridge." The film traces the events that led up to the confrontation that became known as "Bloody Sunday". It draws on the personal experiences of those involved, men such as John Lewis, CT Vivian, Albert Turner and James Orange. The program also reveals the White House reaction to the violence in Selma. For the first time, as a result of recently declassified recordings, its possible to hear President Lyndon Johnson as he tries to contain the violence and then use the public outcry to press for passage of a voting rights bill.
Lyndon B. Johnson: Triumph and Tragedy
11. Lyndon B. Johnson: Triumph and Tragedy
 
Lyndon Baines Johnson, the 36th President of the United States, was a man of great ambition, vision and contradictions. Born to Rebekah Baines and Sam Ealy Johnson in 1908, Lyndon was the eldest of five children, all raised in the Texas Hill Country, a hard and unforgiving land on which even cattle could not thrive. His mother was a well-educated and cultivated woman at odds with the life thrust upon her when she married Sam Ealy Johnson. Sam was an unsuccessful farmer who at times made enough money to keep his family comfortable, but sought refuge in a bottle during the less prosperous moments. His happiest moments were those spent as a member of the Texas House of Representitives, a place he often brought young Lyndon. Lyndon, always a bright but undisciplined child, attended a teachers college in San Marcos and taught Mexican-American boys mired in poverty, an experience that would shape his politics forever. After a few years teaching, Lyndon went to Washington as a local Texas Congressmen's secretary and thus began a career in politics that would evetually take him to the presidency. While there he met and married Claudia Alta "Lady Bird" Taylor and had two daughters, Lynda Bird and Luci Baines. He was soon elected to Congress, and then to the Senate in 1948 where he quickly rose through the ranks until he became the Senate Majority Leader, a position he re-shaped into one of the most powerful in Washington. In 1960, after a brief and frustrating Presidential bid, he accepted the nomination as Kennedy's running mate and spent the next three years in the shadow of the younger and more dynamic President. But Johnson's ambition would be realized in a way he never imagined when JFK was assassinated in Dallas on November 22, 1963.
Voices of Civil Rights
10. Voices of Civil Rights
 
Wars, national crises, social revolutions...the narratives of major turning points in history tend to be written by the generals, the leaders, the empire builders, or by historians who've chosen to write about them -- their voices, their experiences forever preserved for future generations. But leaders can only lead if they have minions following them, and wars are fought not by generals, but by foot soldiers. Yet theirs are voices, which tend to be lost -- their memories, impressions and perspectives passing with them into obscurity.
The JFK Assassination
9. The JFK Assassination
 
How does forensic science help resolve questions about the JFK assassination? With the help of a group of scientists and researchers with access to the evidence in the case, Investigating History looks at new information that examines which theories are believable, and which are not. Specifically, the experts looked at the acoustic evidence from the radio of one of the motorcycle policemen in the motorcade and the number of shots that were fired; at the reliability of autopsy X-rays of JFK's skull; at the investigation that concluded that Oswald was the lone assassin; at the new evidentiary support for the "magic bullet" theory; and more.
Bay of Pigs Declassified
8. Bay of Pigs Declassified
 
The Bay of Pigs fiasco marked the first foreign policy defeat for the new Kennedy administration and the first time a CIA covert operation had been exposed to public scrutiny. More than one hundred U.S. backed invaders died at the Bay of Pigs, more than one thousand were captured. Kennedy called the invasion "the worst experience of my life." Military and political analysts called it "the perfect failure." It was one of the most extraordinary debacles of the Cold War. What exactly went wrong on that day in April, 1961---the day America lost it's first and most humiliating battle against Communism?
Beyond the Moon: Failure Is Not an Option
7. Beyond the Moon: Failure Is Not an Option
 
In 1961, President Kennedy set a goal for the nation: beat the Russians to the Moon and do it within the decade. In '69, NASA met that goal--but no one defined what should happen next. As a growing number of political, social, and economic problems vie for the nation's attention and money, Congress, Presidents, and the public aren't certain if manned space flight is really worth the cost and risk. But for legendary flight director Gene Kranz and the men and women of Mission Control, there's no doubt. Despite waning public support and shrinking budgets, they still have a job to do with no room for error.
JFK: A Presidency Revealed
6. JFK: A Presidency Revealed
 
President John F. Kennedy's legacy is largely defined by the permanent scar his assassination left on America's psyche; creating a vivid memory that refuses to fade. By looking past our now-mythical recollections, JFK: A Life Revealed, presents the story of a remarkable man whose assassination was merely the final moment of his remarkable life. Using the 35th President's private records, phone logs, medical reports, and secret recordings of meetings with his White House staff, our story will expose Kennedy as a flawed giant who dominated his time though sheer determination.
Mississippi State Secrets
5. Mississippi State Secrets
 
From 1956 to 1977 this group compiled secret files on thousands of its citizens. It employed hundreds of private detectives and informers. It investigated, harassed and intimidated anyone who got in its way. It hampered investigations and tampered with juries and it was all funded by the taxpayers of the state of Mississippi. It was called the "Mississippi State Sovereignty Commission," an agency created by the Mississippi State legislature to preserve segregation and oppose school integration at any cost...even if it meant murder. Join us as we examine an organization whose lofty goals of state's rights nearly turned Mississippi into a police state.
Fidel Castro: El Comandante
4. Fidel Castro: El Comandante
 
Profile of the bearded Cuban dictator that follows his life from his rebel days in the Sierra Maestra Mountains to his decades-long confrontation with the U.S. Explores his role in the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Bay of Pigs, and the Mariel Boat Lift.
Days of Rage and Wonder: Hippies
3. Days of Rage and Wonder: Hippies
 
Hippies will be a vivid, mind-expanding exploration of one the most explosive, controversial and misunderstood periods in modern history. It will show how the roots of the movement go back to the communal experiments of the 19th century and to the aggressive non-conformity of the Beatniks, and how the Hippies were actually the inheritors of a great American tradition of spiritual exploration and rebellion against authority. We'll dig into every aspect of the movement - free love, the peace movement, drugs, Eastern religions, communes, Gestalt therapy, macrobiotics - and introduce the gurus whose words and actions inspired it - Marshall McCluhan, Timothy Leary, Allen Ginsberg, Jerry Rubin, Gloria Steinem, Dick Gregory and a host of others.
The Vietnam War
2. The Vietnam War
 
Answering the desperate calls for air strikes from soldiers in the jungle, U.S. fighters and bombers unleashed their fury on the enemy in Vietnam. From life and death dogfights against Russian built MiGs to the devastating carpet bombing by the B-52s.
60's Tech
1. 60's Tech
 
The sixties were one groovy decade. "Modern Marvels: 60's Tech" will take you on a wild ride of the technological happenings that helped shape the decade. Television got a whole lot better. We'll see how color replaced black and white. We'll explore the advent of satellite broadcasting. And we'll look at the camera that beamed man's first steps on the moon. It was a decade of radical changes - the transistor radio became your personal listening device, computers became less intimidating, dialing your telephone now meant pressing buttons, and your watch became a piece of electronics. We'll see how all that happened. We'll take the Mustang, the ultimate 60's car, for a spin. For fun, we'll get inside slot car racing, the etch-a-sketch, the superball, and lava lamps. The decade gave us quite a technological rush-- with the introduction of concert sound, psychedelic light shows and the birth of the rock festival. So this time around, just turn on and tune in, no need to drop out.
Description
  • Premiere Date
    May 29, 2009